Building Our Super School Podcast

At Academica Media, we believe that education must go beyond the curriculum. In honor of national autism awareness month, Lily concludes her interview with autism expert Dr. Jennifer Durocher. Dr. Durocher is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Miami and the Clinical Director of the Center for Autism & Related Disabilities. In this episode, Dr. Durocher speaks about the three very important skills that are needed when working with individuals with autism. She also provides online resources for administrators, educators, and parents to reach out to for guidance. The Center for Autism & Related Disabilities is an organization at the University of Miami that provides support for schools and families. This organization provides free resources, and teaches us how to better understand the world in which children with autism live. For more information, click the link down below. www.umCARD.org Host: Liliana Salazar (@SalazarLilly) Producer: Michael Hernandez (@edtechmichael) Post-

At Academica Media, we believe that education must go beyond the curriculum. In honor of national autism awareness month, Lily continues her interview with autism expert Dr. Jennifer Durocher. Dr. Durocher is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Miami and the Clinical Director of the Center for Autism & Related Disabilities. In this episode, Dr. Durocher goes in more detail explaining the root of autism, various hypotheses, studies, and outliers. She also stresses that educators must provide more support for individuals with autism and have a stronger appreciation for the struggles of parents in this area. Host: Liliana Salazar (@SalazarLilly) Producer: Michael Hernandez (@edtechmichael) Post-Producer: Ross Ulysse

This week, Ryan sits down with Heather McManus, the Chief Learning Officer for Camino Nuevo Charter Academy. Heather talks to Ryan about how Camino Nuevo strives to have positive impact in its community by implementing a learning culture based on college prep, social justice, and ethnic studies. Heather also provides her thoughts on the professionalization of teaching and what the education system can do to develop effective teachers. Find out more about Camino Nuevo Charter Academy by visiting www.caminonuevo.org. Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair) Producer: Ross Ulysse

Don't just listen, join the conversation! Tweet us at @AcademicaMedia or with the hashtag #BigIdeasinEducation with questions or new topics you want to see discussed. This week, Sarah is back on air and hosts the show. Ryan talks about differing views on the movement to reduce homework for students. Mike speaks about standardized testing, and how students are being limited with their educational thoughts. The cast members present their perspectives on standardized testing. Also, the gang discusses successful alternatives in providing the best educational outcomes for all students. Hosts: Michael Hernandez (@edtechmichael); Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair); Sarah Boulos Fye (@readwithfye) Producer: Michael Hernandez (@edtechmichael) Post-Production: Ross Ulysse

This week, Ryan sits down with Sarah Boulos Fye of Somerset Academy, Inc.. In addition to being Ryan's podcasting co-host on "Big Ideas in Education" on Academica Media, Dr. Fye is also the Director of Strategic Planning and Academic Achievement for the Somerset Academy Charter School Network. Sarah talks to Ryan about her research in the area of teacher retention. Specifically, Sarah and Ryan discuss the role that mentorship and peer relationships play in keeping teachers in the profession. Great insight this week from a fantastic administrator and scholar! Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)

Don't just listen, join the conversation! Tweet us at @AcademicaMedia or with the hashtag #BigIdeasinEducation with questions or new topics you want to see discussed. This week, Mike and Ryan divulge into the topic of group work and collaboration of students in an educational setting. Ryan briefly summarizes an Edutopia article written by author Michael Ralph. He discusses with Mike about the reliance of group work in a classroom environment. Mike introduces a topic relevant to the technological industry of cybersecurity. He discusses the under-representation of women in the field of cybersecurity and the demand of commitment it takes to achieve success in this industry. Tune in! Hosts: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair); Michael Hernandez (@edtechmichael) Producer: Ross Ulysse

At Academica Media, we believe that education must go beyond the curriculum. To kick off national autism awareness month, Lily sits down with autism expert Dr. Jennifer Durocher. Dr. Durocher is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Miami and the Clinical Director of CARD. She addresses the early indications and symptoms of autism and discusses various methods to help educators and parents identify these characteristics. https://urlzs.com/pji8 https://urlzs.com/21Ge Host: Liliana Salazar (@SalazarLilly) Producer: Michael Hernandez (@edtechmichael) Post-Producer: Ross Ulysse

This week, Ryan sits down with Kelly Pierce. Kelly is a former student athlete, academic advisor, and charter school teacher. Today, she is the CEO of Pierce Plan, a company that offers a Software as a Service platform that helps high schools track student academic progress toward NCAA initial eligibility requirements. Kelly talks to Ryan about her platform and the challenges that charter high schools face in making sure that their student athletes comply with NCAA admission eligibility regulations. She offers some great advice for school leaders in this area. Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)

This week, Ryan sits down with Lynn Norman-Teck, executive director of the Florida Charter School Alliance, to discuss the latest annual FLDOE charter school performance report. In the report, the Department reviewed over 4.2 million student state test scores and other performance data and concluded that the state’s public charter schools outperformed Florida’s traditional public schools in 82% of the grade level performance comparison metrics examined, and 92% of the learning gain metrics examined. Ryan talks to Lynn about her impressions of the report, how public charter schools have improved since the passage of Florida's first public charter school law, and what the report's findings mean for public education as a whole. Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)

Don't just listen, join the conversation! Tweet us at @AcademicaMedia or with the hashtag #BigIdeasinEducation with questions or new topics you want to see discussed. This week, Ryan hosts the show, while Sarah and Michael have some big ideas for you. Sarah talks about Executive Functioning in School. Mike talks about a a challenge by OK GO to send you science project into space! Tune in for details.

This week, Ryan talks to recording artist and charter school student Mercedes Ferreira-Dias. Mercedes is a star student at the Mater Academy Lakes charter school in Miami Lakes, Florida, but she became something of a TV star recently when she made it through the blind auditions on season 15 of NBC's "The Voice" and sang for Blake Shelton's team on the program. We talk to Mercedes about her experience on the show and how her charter school experience helped foster her success. She also talks to us about her future college plans, which involve a dual-degree admission to Harvard and the Berklee College of Music. Download CSS this week and find out more about this incredible student and artist. Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)

Don't just listen, join the conversation! Tweet us at @AcademicaMedia or with the hashtag #BigIdeasinEducation with questions or new topics you want to see discussed. This week, Sarah hosts the show, while Ryan and Michael try to surprise Sarah with some ideas that hit home to her. Ryan talks about the idea that the best way to learn is teach. Mike talks about a new chat app than teens are using to flirt in class, and what teachers can do about it.

Don't just listen, join the conversation! Tweet us at @AcademicaMedia or with the hashtag #BigIdeasinEducation with questions or new topics you want to see discussed. This week, Mike talks to Sarah and Ryan about their big ideas for the week. Sarah talks about how students' perspectives changed after attending a district's professional development day for teachers. Ryan's topic tackles the recent topic of the class action lawsuit against elite colleges based upon the recent standardized test and college admissions scandal.

This week, Ryan chats with acclaimed children's book author Timmy Bauer. In addition to being the creative mind behind the "Billy the Dragon" adventure story, Timmy is also a performer and the host of the Books for Kids Podcast. Timmy travels the country visiting schools (including many charter schools) to encourage students to unlock their creative potential. Timmy talks to Ryan about his work, what schools can do to better prepare students to become writers and illustrators, and the biggest misconceptions that people have about writing for children. Find out more about Timmy's work by visiting www.billythedragon.com. Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)

This week, Ryan sits down with noted security expert William Tagle of Tagle and Associates to talk about how to keep our charter schools safe. Mr. Tagle was an officer with the Miami-Dade County Public Schools police for 25 years and today provides security consulting services for public and private schools. In the year since the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, school safety has been a topic at the top of every educator's mind, and charter schools face unique challenges in making sure that their students can learn in a secure environment. We talk to Mr. Tagle about those challenges, and he gives us actionable strategies for schools to have effective safety practices. Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)

Don't just listen, join the conversation! Tweet us at @AcademicaMedia or with the hashtag #BigIdeasinEducation with questions or new topics you want to see discussed. This week, Sarah asks Ryan and Michael about their big ideas for the week. Michael talks about the view of preparing today's students for the technology-based world of tomorrow. Ryan's topic tackles the age-old behavior of hand-raising, and whether it's worth to explore new ways to improve student participation. Hosts: Sarah Boulos Fye (@readwithfye); Michael Hernandez (@edtechmichael); Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)

At Academica Media, we believe that education must go beyond the curriculum. Lily has two new guests this week. From Thelma Louise Gibson Charter School comes Jennifer DeSousa and Yaneisy Abreu in the final segment of this amazing series about The Gibson turnaround. In this episode, we discuss the importance of listening to teachers during a turnaround, empowering teacher's strengths, and the importance of trust between the school leader and their staff. Host: Lily Salazar

This week, Ryan sits down with education reformer Curtis Valentine. Curtis is the Deputy Director, Reinventing America’s Schools at the Progressive Policy Institute and is also an at-large board member for the Prince George’s County Public School District. Last month, Curtis was a panelist at the "Is School Choice the Black Choice" Atlanta town hall hosted by Roland Martin and sponsored by The 74. On this episode, Curtis recaps the panel and provides insightful perspective on the historical roots and modern outlook of school choice and charter education in the Black community. Curtis also talks about his work as his school board member and provides actionable strategies to find common ground with other education policymakers and enact effective education policy. You can watch the "Is School Choice the Black Choice" panel by clicking here: https://www.the74million.org/article/watch-live-is-school-choice-the-black-choice-atlanta-town-hall/ Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)

Don't just listen, join the conversation! Tweet us at @AcademicaMedia or with the hashtag #BigIdeasinEducation with questions or new topics you want to see discussed. This week Ryan and Sarah brought their education topics for you, and Mike will be the host. Ryan talks about bringing needed services to schools, in order to retain the best teachers for long-term employment. Sarah's big idea this week tackles Black History Month from her perspective. Sarah also details the importance of these monthly events for areas with little or no exposure to different cultures. Hosts: Sarah Boulos Fye (@readwithfye); Michael Hernandez (@edtechmichael); Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)

This week, Ryan sits down with NAPCS Senior Director of Government Relations Ron Rice, Jr.. Ron talks about his work at the National Alliance and what it means to advocate for pro-charter policy at the federal level with a Congress that seems more polarized than ever. Ron and Ryan also discuss how charter education policy affected the 2018 mid-term elections and how it is poised to influence the 2020 presidential race. Ron also discusses his annual School Leaders of Color event and his admirable work to amplify the minority voice in charter education. Find out more about Ron's work by visiting www.publiccharters.org. Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)